Hamlet #5

          Hamlet, suspicious of his uncle, enacts a clever way to confirm his suspicions. He has a play put on with a plotline exactly like the plotline of his life. There is a duke poisoned in a garden by a man who then tries to win over the late king’s duke. He succeeds though she does put up some protest. Hamlet has this play performed in front of Claudius and Gertrude, so that he can see their reactions as the plot plays out. Hamlet receives the reaction he is looking for as he recites, “He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate… You shall see anon how the/ murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife”(III.ii.286-290). Immediately, Claudius rises and storms out. Claudius does not speak, but the only logical inference to make in this situation is that this story has hit a nerve with Claudius because he performed similar actions with his brother. Hamlet knew that by putting on this play, he would be able to tell whether Claudius is truly guilty, and Claudius’s storming out is all the proof that he needs. Hamlet knows that it is Claudius who has killed his father, and now, it is quite clear that Claudius knows that Hamlet has discovered his secret. The conflict is on the verge of playing out, and the fight between Hamlet and Claudius is about to come to a head. Now the reader just has to wait and see who will be the winner.